As the months are counting down to the 2024 presidential election in the United States, much hangs in the balance. Besides the legal wrangling in the run up, including the unprecedented development of a state trial in a local court pronouncing one candidate guilty of crimes (though that verdict will certainly be appealed), serious issues are on the table pointing to vastly different directions for the country. Many see the outcome as a matter of national survival—and of major impact on the entire world.

Already, everything everywhere seems at the edge of a sea change. Regional wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, so-called proxy wars between global powers Russia, the United States, Israel and Iran, threaten much wider consequences. Amid increasing division between ultraliberal and conservative factions around the world, 64 nations are holding national elections this year, not to mention leadership changes following the Iranian president’s death and a general election called for in the United Kingdom early in July.

Where will all this lead? Will the world move in the direction of more government and even global control at the hands of elites, or will a more populist, nationalist movement advance, as people see their freedoms eroding?

In the United States, differences in philosophy and approach between the likely presidential candidates have never been starker. Some predict a return to peace, economic stability and energy independence with one candidate, while those opposing fear he’ll upend the rules-based world order. Supporters of the other speak of preserving our institutions, yet those against predict ongoing war, internal strife, economic downturns and border insecurity.

The United States’ economy and power have been a “backbone” for the world order for decades. But the country is suffering from internal decay that will lead to its downfall, just as internal decay has written the eulogy of many world-leading powers throughout history.

Is it too late for America? Has it grown too polarized to ever unite again? Has its downward spiral into depravity so corrupted the populace that it cannot return to the basic principles of family and morality underpinning every successful nation?

Time will tell, but no matter which candidate emerges as president in the November elections, it’s likely that widespread refusal to accept the election outcome, with possible violence, will lead to continued stalemate, confusion, and inability to deal with internal or international problems.

In the face of an unsupported leadership and divided worldview, the nation will eventually fall. Jesus Christ said that a house or kingdom divided against itself cannot stand—that it will fall (Matthew 12:25; Mark 3:25; Luke 11:17).

And when America falls, the world will fall with it—the global economy relying so heavily on the United States. What will happen with America’s decline? The Bible provides the answer, revealing the rise of a geopolitical tyranny described in Revelation as “the beast” in partnership with a great false religious power.

The future without America as a world leader is unknown, but dark. Yet we should not fret, as all is in God’s hands. The Bible reveals that when a nation departs from God, blessings He’s given will be taken away. America will have itself, especially its leaders, to blame for the disaster it will bring on itself and the world. “The leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed” (Isaiah 9:16).

Of course, whether they remain in power or not is up to God, as “He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:21). The next U.S. president will be according to what He decides. Yet it should be realized that the leadership of this world is not the leadership God ultimately desires for mankind.

Thankfully, in God’s great plan, Jesus Christ will return to save this world from itself, including its misguided leaders and influential elites.

In the time of Christ’s rule, leaders under Him will be those who have become like Him. They will rule with humility, a true attitude of service, watching out and caring for the well-being of all mankind. They will lovingly teach the way of God, as expressed by His commandments and principles of life—these given to mankind for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13). And the world will then know peace, harmony and abundance in a way never experienced in history.

As this magazine has long taught, in accordance with the Bible, put your trust in God, not human rulers (Psalm 146:3). Jesus Christ is the only Savior of this world, in both a physical and spiritual sense. In these uncertain days, the time is now to turn to God and start living His way. That is where hope, the future and eternity lie.

Read the articles in this magazine with this overriding perspective, looking to God’s Word for hope, purpose and certainty in your future.